Front cover image for The universal history' of Stepʻanos Tarōnecʻi : introduction, translation, and commentary

The universal history' of Stepʻanos Tarōnecʻi : introduction, translation, and commentary

Tim Greenwood (Author)
The 'Universal History' ('Patmut'iwn tiezerakan') of Step'anos Taronec'i is a history of the world in three books, composed by the Armenian scholar at the end of the tenth century and extending from the era of Abraham to the turn of the first millennium. It was completed in 1004/5 CE, at a time when the Byzantine Empire was expanding eastwards across the districts of historic Armenia and challenging key aspects of Armenian identity. Step'anos responded to these changing circumstances by looking to the past and fusing Armenian tradition with Persian, Roman, and Islamic history, thereby asserting that Armenia had a prominent and independent place in world history. The 'Universal History' was intended to affirm and reinforce Armenian cultural memory. This volume presents the first ever English translation of this work, drawing upon Manukyan's 2012 critical edition of the text, and is also the first study and translation of the Universal History to be published outside Armenia for a century. Fully annotated and with a substantial introduction, it not only provides an accessible guide to the text, drawing on the most up-to-date scholarship available, but also offers valuable new insights into the significance of an often overlooked work, the intellectual and literary contexts within which it was composed, and its place in the Armenian tradition
eBook, English, 2017
First edition View all formats and editions
Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2017
Early works
1 online resource (384 pages)
9780192511065, 0192511068
988940391
Cover; The Universal History of Step`anos Taronec`i: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary; Copyright; Dedication; Preface; Acknowledgements; Contents; List of Abbreviations; Note on Transliteration; Introduction; THE WORLD OF STEP'ANOS TARŌNEC'I; THE LIFE AND CAREER OF STEP'ANOS; HISTORIOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT; STRUCTURE, CONTENT, PURPOSE; Book I: The Distant Past-Abraham to Trdat; Book II: The Armenian Past-Trdat to Ašot I Bagratuni; Book III: The Tenth Century-Ašot I Bagratuni to the Present; RECEPTION; EDITIONS, TRANSLATIONS, AND THE MANUSCRIPT TRADITION; CONCLUSION; Note on Translation Step`anos Taronec`i[3] [639] HISTORY OF STEP'ANOS TARŌNEC'I [COMPILED] FROM HISTORICAL BOOKS; First Book; List of Chapters of the First Book; [5] HISTORY OF STEP'ANOS TARŌNEC'I; First Book; Chapter 1; [17] Chapter 2; [19] Chapter 3; [24] [652] Chapter 4; Chapter 5; [57] [672] HISTORY OF STEP'ANOS TARŌNEC'I [COMPILED] FROM HISTORICAL BOOKS; Second Book; List of Chapters of the Second Book; [59] HISTORY OF STEP'ANOS TARŌNEC' I; Second Book; Chapter 1; [78] Chapter 2; [711] Chapter 3; [118] Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6 Chapter 36Chapter 37; Chapter 38; Chapter 39; Chapter 40; Chapter 41; Chapter 42; Chapter 43; Chapter 44; Chapter 45; Chapter 46; Chapter 47; Chapter 48; Glorious Conclusion at the end of this record; Maps; List of Maps; Bibliography; Primary Sources; Secondary Sources; Note on Indices; Index of People; Index of Places